Question
If money were not an issue, could Geologists, Hydrologists and Engineers create a large enough inland sea through digging, trenching and pumping in ocean waters to change the environment and weather conditions in the areas surrounding it? Once established could that artificial sea survive and could desalinization plants provide the necessary freshwater to supply the populations surrounding it? The goal being to increase the food and water resources of the people there. Potential benefits and pitfalls to the planet as a whole?
If money were not an issue, could Geologists, Hydrologists and Engineers create a large enough inland sea through digging, trenching and pumping in ocean waters to change the environment and weather conditions in the areas surrounding it? Once established could that artificial sea survive and could desalinization plants provide the necessary freshwater to supply the populations surrounding it? The goal being to increase the food and water resources of the people there. Potential benefits and pitfalls to the planet as a whole?
Answer
I used to live there and one of the major problems with doing as you suggest is that almost all of that water would be gone in a matter of years. The heat and wind that is in that area of Africa is really intense and would not be conducive to having an artificial lake. The answer lies in exploiting the ground water that is ever present under the sahara. Most people get their water from this source, but they don't keep the water source clean - They drop their well bags on the ground right where their cows just took a crap. This is a major issue, especially in rural areas. The potential benefits that could result from greening up the arid region of Africa would be that it would provide a sink for the excess carbon in the atmosphere. The boreal forests of Canada and Siberia do this now, but they're getting logged and C is only increasing the atmosphere. Pitfalls...I think that you would lose the valuable ground water that is there to evaporation, I think that it wouldn't work too well. It does rain in the arid regions, contrary to popular belief, and when it does, it's beautiful, it's just the other 10 months out of the year that aren't so great.
I used to live there and one of the major problems with doing as you suggest is that almost all of that water would be gone in a matter of years. The heat and wind that is in that area of Africa is really intense and would not be conducive to having an artificial lake. The answer lies in exploiting the ground water that is ever present under the sahara. Most people get their water from this source, but they don't keep the water source clean - They drop their well bags on the ground right where their cows just took a crap. This is a major issue, especially in rural areas. The potential benefits that could result from greening up the arid region of Africa would be that it would provide a sink for the excess carbon in the atmosphere. The boreal forests of Canada and Siberia do this now, but they're getting logged and C is only increasing the atmosphere. Pitfalls...I think that you would lose the valuable ground water that is there to evaporation, I think that it wouldn't work too well. It does rain in the arid regions, contrary to popular belief, and when it does, it's beautiful, it's just the other 10 months out of the year that aren't so great.
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